When wearing a watch, the band inevitably gets scratches. To one it is perturbing; to the other it’s no big deal. However, it is possible to refurbish a steel bracelet with minor signs of use without great expense. For this purpose, the scratches are removed and the typical Rolex cut is produced. If the band is not worn out, the band can be restored to almost mint condition. In the case of worn out bands, at least optical refurbishment is possible.
This reworking is somewhat more complex than the other workshops, so you should take some time, because the more relaxed things are, the better the results. Also you should practice something before and do not start with an expensive watch, because practice makes perfect. Furthermore, explicitly: you are doing this at your own risk.
The basis for this documentation is an aftermarket band, since nobody was willing to provide extra-deep scratches for demonstration purposes. But when you see how easy it is, you can even attempt the original, scratched band.
What tools do you need to work on bands?
The band, first without scratches:
In order to get a better before-and-after comparison, the band was deliberately given some deep scratches for the purpose of the exercise. Such scratches would be really annoying on a real watch and do not occur very often to these depths. In this respect, these are extreme conditions for this workshop.
In order to remove such scratches, 160 grit sandpaper is first wrapped around the file and the band is processed. For non-flat surfaces, the paper can also be put over the finger and used very carefully. Important: Always be very careful to sand in a straight line!
The result after the first processing step will not yet compare to what is possible, but proceed very slowly. I’d rather be working more cautiously than do too much at once. Once removed material is gone, it does not come back. Always keep this in the back of your head.
Now in progressive steps, first use 320 grit and then 400 grit paper. After that it will look much better.
Now comes the matting with the Dremel/Proxxon and the fiber boards. Without pressure It’s very easy to do:
After a short exposure time it looks like this. It’s not bad, but compared to the original band, it still looks a bit too rough:
So again, go back a little and repeat the last two work steps again with a finer 600 grit emery and afterwards “dremel” then it will look really perfect:
Furthermore, it can also stand up to direct comparison. Above is the original band with the original cut and the processed band at the bottom:
This workshop was created with Jörg, a friend from the R-L-X Forum, whom I would also like to thank again for his support.